March 25, 2014

Take Time to Talk to Children About Personal Safety

Bedfordshire Police is urging parents and guardians to warn children about talking with strangers after they have received five suspicious reports over recent months.

The most recent incident happened on Friday (Mar 21) in Garden Road, Dunstable at 4pm when a man tried to get a 10 year old girl in to a white vehicle. The girl was unharmed and managed to get away before making her way to a family member’s house.  The man is described as white, around 5’3” to 5’4” tall, old and balding with white hair and stubble. He had a deep voice and wore a red t-shirt, blue shorts and possibly Nike training shoes.

Detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Team, led by Detective Inspector Jon McAdam, are investigating this incident and a further four reports of a similar nature that may be linked.

The first incident happened on January 19 at 12 noon when a 12 year old girl was playing in Morris Road, Dunstable and a small car stopped. The driver, who is described as a white man, approximately 30 years old, with a bald head, spoke to the girl and asked her name before driving away.

The second incident happened on March 4 when a man was spotted following children on their way to and from school at 8.30am and again at 3.30pm in an alley that runs between Mentmore Gardens and Grovebury Road in Leighton Buzzard. The man is described as white, of average height with a bald head and wearing a grey jacket.

The third incident happened on March 7 at 7.45am when two 13 year old girls were walking to school in Union Street, Dunstable. They were followed by a white man with a bald head, wearing black boots, blue jeans and a bomber style jacket before they began to run from him. The man began to chase after them before getting in to a white vehicle and leaving the scene.

The fourth incident happened on March 12 between 8.20am and 8.31am when a 12 year old school girl was grabbed by a man in Union Street, Dunstable. The girl managed to struggle free and ran to school to report the incident. The man is described as white, possibly with a tanned complexion, clean shaven with chubby cheeks, approximately 5’4” tall with a medium build, in his late 20s and wearing a black bobble hat, blue jeans, a plain back hooded top, blue fluffy gloves and white training shoes with a tick on the side.

Bedfordshire Police’s Children and Young People Development Officer, Richard Denton, is contacting all schools and educational establishments in the Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard areas to warn of these incidents and to give personal safety advice to help keep children and young people safe.

He said: “These types of incidents remain rare and luckily during all the reports received so far the children have not come to any harm. Bedfordshire Police will be stepping up patrols in the areas and I will be liaising with local schools. I would ask parents and guardians to take this opportunity to remind their children about what to do should they be approached by a stranger.”

DI McAdam added: “These incidents are being thoroughly investigated by detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, to ensure those responsible are tracked down. Officers undertaking this investigation need to trace anyone who may have witnessed any of the five incidents that have been reported so far and also anyone who believes their child has been approached by a man in a similar way recently.”

Here is some stranger danger advice that will help keep your children or a child that you know remain safe:

A stranger is someone you do not know…..

·         Strangers can be men or women

·         They can be tall or short

·         They can be fat or thin

·         They can be old or young

Remember…..

·         Do not go with a stranger

·         Do not talk to a stranger

·         Do not get in a car with a stranger

·         If a stranger grabs you make a noise – shout and scream

·         Never play near public toilets

·         Do not go off on your own. Always play with other children and be back home before dark

·         Most strangers are nice but some can be nasty and like to hurt children

·         If you are frightened by s stranger run home and tell a parent or carer

·         If you cannot run home tell someone you trust. You can trust a police officer, your teacher, or a grown-up you know well

Anyone with information relating to these incidents contact Bedfordshire Police, in confidence, quoting Operation Openshaw, Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Ends